


The Possibility of Happy Endings

by nevernevergirl



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-10
Updated: 2013-09-10
Packaged: 2017-12-26 04:32:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/961609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevernevergirl/pseuds/nevernevergirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What do you think stories are for? These stories - the classics. There's a reason we all know them. There a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense."</p>
<p>Mary Margaret gives Henry his book.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Possibility of Happy Endings

There was something different about Henry. 

Mary Margaret had been a teacher for as long as she could remember, literally. She actually couldn't picture a time before Storybrooke Elementary, though of course there must have been  _something,_ some sort of life and identity prior to  _Miss Blanchard_ , spelled out in neat penmanship across the top of the chalkboard. But it was if all she was ever meant to do was stand up in front of this classroom and teach these wide-eyed, accepting little minds, like that was all that matter. There was something quietly beautiful in that, she thought. Maybe not heroic or exciting, but it was important. It was something she could believe in. 

Children were something she could believe in. They weren't set in stone yet. They could do anything, be anything, believe in  _anything._  


Maybe Henry Mills more than most. 

Henry was sad, simply put. Plenty of children were, from time to time. She hated to think about it, but it  _was_  part of her job, her responsibility. But it radiated off of Henry. It made him stand out. He was a bright boy, and so imaginative, but that wasn't it. There was just something about him that made her want to look out for him, reach out, shake up the hope she _knew_  had to be inside him.

Mary Margaret cared about all of her children, but she didn't meddle in their lives, as a rule. She wasn't their mother; she wasn't even  _a_  mother. She could guide them the best she could in the classroom, but she knew her place in their lives didn't extend beyond the 3 o'clock bell.

But Henry's mother-- it wasn't Mary Margaret's business. She knew that. But--

Henry was the last to leave the classroom the day she made up her mind. He was slow to pack up his things, dragging his feet like he dreaded leaving the building. Nine year olds shouldn't dread  _leaving_  school.

"And what are you doing this evening, Henry?" Mary Margaret prompted with a smile, once they were the only two left. Henry shrugged.

"Waiting at my mom's office. She has a meeting. I'm supposed to sit and do my homework."

Mary Margaret bit her lip, beckoning for him to come to her desk. He looked at her inquisitively, walking over. She smiled at him as she reached into the bottom drawer of her desk, pulling out a large, leather-bound book and placing it in his hands.

"Why don't you take this to keep you company? After you finish your homework, of course," she said, trying to sound firm.

"What is it?" he frowned, flipping through the pages almost reverently.

"Some old stories. Classics," she grinned. "You should get to know them."

Henry looked up at her, eyes wide. "When do I need to give it back?"

"It's not a library book, Henry," she laughed. "Keep it."

" _Really?"_  


"Really," she smiled. He grinned, widely, and something tight in her chest unfurled. It was good to see his smile back.

"Thanks, Ms. Blanchard!" He tucked the book under his arm, trotting off.

Mary Margaret smiled to herself, watching him go, unable to shake the vaguest feeling that something just shifted.

 


End file.
